Welcome back everyone. Hopefully you were able to recharge over winter break and you’re ready for a busy term. C-term, as we all know, is usually considered to be the toughest term of the academic year with the harsh weather, the lack of scheduled days off, and the overall work load. C-term is also when a lot of companies start their recruiting process and when many offers for internships and full time positions are made. If you weren’t able to attend the fall career fair last semester, don’t panic – it’s not too late! There’s another career fair coming up in less than a month – February 18th from 12:00-4:00pm in the Sports & Rec Center.

Hopefully you used some of your winter break time to start researching companies and positions you’re interested in applying to. If you saw Omesh’s blog at the end of the term, he highlighted why break is one of the best times to work on your job hunt. According to the article he was referencing to, “there’s a significant rise in jobs and job opportunities” over the holidays, which is why you should take advantage of that time to snatch up one of those positions.

Over the holidays, my goal was to build my professional network and I did so by attending a Go Far Forum put on by Bottom Line (an organization committed to helping high-schoolers get into college and help them succeed once they’re in). During the event, there was a career fair, a mock interview session, and two networking sessions. I was able to meet employers who seemed genuinely interested, and luckily, my mock interviewer works for a company that was at the top of my list and said she’d put in a good word!

At first, I was hesitant about attending the event since the idea of networking for three straight hours was intimidating – especially for an introvert like me – but I knew I wouldn’t forgive myself if I missed an opportunity that could help me land another internship or a full time job later on. The moral of the story is to wisely use your time and resources. We all deserve time to destress but if you take a couple hours a week to work on your applications, LinkedIn/networking, interview skills, or preparing for the career fair, you’re so much closer to getting that offer. Keep this in mind on your Magic Wednesdays or over the weekend. Also, keep an eye out for different events in your community to attend a career fair or to network – the emails the CDC sends out has an “Off Campus” section to get you started.

Speaking of the CDC and different opportunities, we’re starting to recruit for new Peer Advisors! The responsibilities include helping out with the Discovering Majors & Careers course, presenting workshops on career topics, writing blogs (like this) and Towers articles, and helping out with CDC events. This position has really helped me with public speaking and being able to work on my own career development. The applications are due by February 26th at midnight; to apply you need to send your resume, cover letter, 3 minute video on CDC resource or tip, and campus reference to Maggie Becker.

That’s it from me! Good luck to everyone with your job hunt; if you’re applying for the PA position – feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.